Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt told Newsmax that President Donald Trump’s stepped-up pressure campaign against drug cartels is beginning to disrupt their financial and logistical networks.
But he warned that cartel-linked retaliation inside the United States remains a "clear and present danger."
The cartels should be understood as more than violent trafficking organizations, describing them as "the vascular system to everything illegal on this planet," Holt told Newsmax's "Sunday Report," including "co-opted politicians, paid-off staffers, lobbying firms that work on their behalf."
He said signs of growing pressure are not limited to maritime interdictions, adding that the impact is showing up in the cartels' bottom line.
"It’s not the boats," Holt said. "What it is, is we’re starting to see cost, impositions, things that hurt them monetarily, that their supply chains are breaking down."
Holt said intensifying pressure can trigger broader reactions, including international and political ripple effects.
He pointed to foreign intelligence tensions and organized demonstrations, and he suggested that exposure of corruption could accelerate as cartel finances are squeezed.
"Those who are hiding behind the shadows, who are the real players in this laundering mess," he said. "They’re the ones who are going to start picking up phones and calling politicians."
In discussing Venezuela, Holt said removing Nicolás Maduro could produce instability in the short term, predicting "chaos" and "cartel versus cartel" conflict.
He also said that if Maduro were forced out, Venezuela could require international assistance to stabilize.
"Our friends in Venezuela are going to need some help," Holt said, adding that help could come from an international coalition to stabilize Venezuela.
Holt also highlighted what he called the risk of cartel activity and allied groups operating inside the United States, saying the cartels have a nationwide footprint and could escalate as pressure rises.
"The cartels are here from sea to shining sea," he said, adding that Americans "have to be very concerned, have to be watchful and help our first responders in crisis."
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